It seems inevitable that the magic of the written word will fade.

If I were asked about what to do about the level of insecurity and anxiety in contemporary Australian society, I wouldn't start with politics and I wouldn't say too much about terrorism. I'd suggest as a first step, that you invite the neighbours over for a drink this weekend. Today a drink, tomorrow a barbeque, pretty soon, a community.

Indeed, in the present climate of mistrust of institutions, many people who yearn for a more meaningful and fulfilling life would regard the church as an unlikely place to go for guidance.

It's Australian to do such things because, however uncivilised they may seem, it's human to do them.

Yet in our enthusiasm for the idea that everyone should be able to read and write fluently, we may be missing a crucial point: in today's culture, finely honed literacy skills are simply not as important as they once were.

Actually, I can't imagine anything more tedious than a perfect person, especially if it was someone who also demanded perfection from me.

The yearning for strong leadership is more about strength of purpose - clarity of vision - than about merely 'getting tough'.